Aix-Marseille-Aix

This will probably be short, since I have a terrible headache and am about to head off to bed.

Today was quite a day! I was invited to sit in on a class at 11:00 this morning and learn how to use the Language Lab. (For a highly entertaining explanation of "Language Lab," check out Eddie Izzard's sketch on it. I would include a link, but alas, the internet problems have not entirely subsided, and I have no youtube access.) It was rather entertaining, actually. This class of 16 and 17 year old French students were researching "Famous Rebels" on Wikipedia (in English, Simple English, and French, but it was supposed to be in English). There were among their subjects such characters as MLK, Jr., Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, Gandhi, Jane Fonda, Langston Hughues, and others.

But, we were there to learn how to make the computers work. Having "adults" try to explain computers and computer programs to me is comical, almost one hundred percent of the time. This lady, an English teacher, was trying to tell us how to make the lab program work. She was adamant that, if we didn't take notes, we would have no idea how to make it work when we came back, and that, because there was an IT guy working on some of the other computers in the room, we would need to go back Friday to see the rest of what she had actually already showed us. It is good to know how it all works, though.

After that, Chris and I went and ate at the canteen (cafeteria, whatever!). We're big kids now, so we get to eat in the "Salle à Manger des Profs" or "The Room Where the Profs. Eat." Even after a year, it's weird being on the other side! Chris, who is still a student at University in Bath finds it even odder than I do.

Right after lunch, I was sitting in my bedroom trying to make my internet work (with some success, although not as much as I would like), and I hear a screaming and some other loud non-human noises from outside my window. I looked out, and some kids about my age had dragged all the trash cans in sight out into the middle of the street and a crowd of bystanders were cheering them on. I don't know if they were demonstrating something, or what, but pretty soon, an older man got out of his car and - very patiently in my opinion - moved all of the trash cans back up onto the sidewalk, got back into his car, and drove off. When I left later, there were policemen all around the area. I'd be very interested to know what was going on.

So, after that, I went towards the bus station to meet Michelle. Tonight was a reception for all of the American assistants in the region at the home of the Consulate General in Marseille. The getting there was horrendous! We had high hopes of taking the train. We bought our tickets, sat on the platform for 15-20 minutes, got on the train (which was actually on the other side of the platform, despite what we had been told inside), sat for another 10-15 minutes before a man, I suspect the conductor, came over the intercom to tell us that the train had broken down and it would be an hour and a half before another one came.

So, up we hopped. Rushing back up towards town, we caught a bus, which deposited us in Marseille. It was slightly more expensive than the train, but it got us there in a timely manner. We also, miraculously in my opinion, got refunded for our train tickets.

Once in Marseille, we had quite a hike around the city trying to find the street corner where we were to meet the "Car" (Charter Bus) that would take us to the Consulate General's house. It was quite a trip, but eventually we got there. It's surprisingly easy to find a group of fifty or so Americans loitering on the streets in France.

So, we stood there for about 45 minutes waiting for M. Lopez-Palacios, the man we've been in email contact with for months now, to come and meet us and let us onto the bus. Eventually he did, and he and the two ladies that he was with stood outside in the street and gave us directions in the quiet French manner that none of us could hear. So, after playing telephone up and back through the crowd, we loaded onto the bus and they drove us through town about 15 minutes.

This place was magnificent! I got to see a really cool port, the Mediterranean sea, the Château D'If (although it was from a distance), and some pretty awesome homes built into the sides of the hills in Marseille. Dinner was superb; I ate too much. They even had chicken nuggets, go figure!

I am REALLY glad that I live in Aix en Provence and not Marseille, I must say. Marseille feels dirty and big and unforgiving, while Aix feels homey, sweet, and loving. Tomorrow and Thursday, I go back to Marseille for various things, and perhaps after that I'll have a slightly different report, but we'll see.